Your Culture Hits For The Summer
Labour Of Love at Vogue Fabrics Dalston: 29 June until close
The party-cum-window display at the nightclub stands loud and proud in the front of The Outsiders Gallery for all walking by to peer into. With photography from Rachel Ellen Hopkins and Xoey Fourr, Labour of Love is a celebration of creative queer couples. Nothing more, nothing less, this window display is an ode to loving and being loved, no matter your gender.
Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2022: 21 June - 21 August
Summer means one thing and one thing only for the RA: it's Summer Exhibition time. If you're intrigued about the history of the annual national spectacle, bombs, dots, rockstars and all, then you can scour some interesting stories to do with the event here. Otherwise, it's time to sit tight and patiently await this year's show to amaze and daze all of the gallery's annual attendees.
Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic at the British Museum: 19 May - 25 September
How do different traditions view femininity? In the first exhibition of its kind, feminine power takes a cross-cultural look at woman's influence on global religion, spirituality and faith. You can explore the significance of goddesses, demons, witches, spirits and saints in one place this summer at London's very own British Museum.
Marking the first time a major collection of Munch's works will be shown in the UK, The Morgan Stanley Exhibition: Edvard Munch. Masterpieces from Bergen will bring together 18 paintings from KODE art museums in Bergen; home to one of the most important Munch collections in the world. If you count yourself as a Munch fan, you'll be pleased to know some of his most seminal works, such as Melancholy (1894-96) and At the Death Bed (1895), will be featured alongside some of the artist's notorious inspirations he encountered during his Paris years, where he discovered the styles of Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec and Van Gogh.
Eternally yours: Care and Healing at Somerset House: 16 June - 25 September
If you consider yourself to be a nostalgic person, then you should most certainly make time for a self-indulgent trip to Somerset House this summer. From exploring the symbolism behind memory and objects to how the idea of restoration and repair amongst art can help emotional repair in humans, this exhibition reconnects with sustainable techniques that are as old as time itself. A displayed series of works from participating artists will also be on show - surveying the concept of repair led by lifestyle brand TOAST. As part of the exhibition, the shop will also run live workshops and skills training. At the heart of it, Eternally yours: Care and Healing feeds into a wider narrative that has dictated value to humans for generations; let's make do with what we've got, for our oldest possessions are the most cherished, not only to us but to those who came before.
Africa Fashion at Victoria and Albert Museum: 2 July until close
Presenting the past, the present and the future simultaneously, Africa Fashion will explore the continent's creative legacy through an archive of photographs, textiles, music and the visual arts. We predict this one's going to be a sell-out, so make sure to grab your tickets soon.
Tennant of Culture at Camden Art Centre: 8 July until close
Calling on Dutch artist Hendrickje Schimmel to birth a new site-specific installation (her largest work to date), Camden Art Centre have decided to dedicate the summer of 2022 to sustainability - paying homage to the beauty of the lost and found through a material exploration of consumer culture and wastefulness. Armed with a starting point that looked at women in the laundry industry in 19th Century Britain, head down to the venue to see the third recipient of the Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Frieze Prize claim the space and make it her own.
Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders: Throughout July
With 2022 marking 50 years since Wim Wenders' iconic touchdown in New York City thanks to his film The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty, the film industry is celebrating the only way they know how - by reviving all the director's greatest classics to celebrate half a century of magic on the big screen. Last weekend, the German maverick's peerless angel drama, Wings of Desire, was reissued in cinemas, the first in a series of major Wenders works set to be shown over the course of the next month. From Rio Cinema to the Curzon Soho and BFI; catch the elegiac hymn that was once sung to a broken cold-war Berlin not so long ago in '87.
Good Luck To You Leo Grande by Sophie Hyde: in cinemas until mid-July
Thought sex and pleasure were solely for the young? New director on the block Sophie Hyde is telling you to think again, and it's about fucking time. In this irreverently funny comedy-turned-serious-drama-turned-heartfelt romantic screenplay, Emma Thompson plays a widow desperate to experience an orgasm after living her entire existence (as an RE teacher) without one. Naturally, she calls upon a beautiful god-sculpted sex worker, whose pseudonym is Leo Grande, to help her out - and help her he does. We won't say anymore other than, please (no, seriously), please go to the cinema to watch this right now.
Clueless as part of Screen on the Canal at Kings Cross: 11 July
Looking for a good summery night out where a drink isn't involved? Head down to Kings Cross's free open-air film festival Screen on the Canal, sponsored by Everyman, for an array of film staples. 11 July will see Clueless once again return to the big screen. You know where to find us.
The Conformist by Bernardo Bertolucci at Close-Up: 15 - 24 July
From the same director of the sleazy, most beautiful Tumblr-indie-crazed film ever made (yes, we're talking about The Dreamers), Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist is now screening as part of Close-Up's tribute to Jean-Louis Trintignant. Bertolucci fans, this is your time to shine
Cindy Sherman Film Screening at Farr's Dalston: 18 July
A rare documentary portrait of artist Cindy Sherman will be screened at Farr's School of Dancing in Dalston this month. Get to know the woman behind the mask and book your ticket on DICE now.
Come and See at Close-Up: 13 - 28 August
Dubbed as 'the most visceral, impossible-to-forget anti-war film ever made', Soviet director Elem Klimov's Come and See may be just shy of 40 years old, but its pertinence (and relevance) is ever-lasting. We don't only encourage your average Tom, Dick or Harry to watch and take note, but the big war 'heroes' (or failed ones, cough Putin) could do with a compulsive viewing, or two. To put it crassly, when noting the situation in Ukraine, we clearly haven't learnt anything from the last century of war. This film is so near the knuckle that it almost was never made. We wonder why.
Sophia Coppola: Forever Young by Hannah Strong
'Sofia Coppola: Forever Young is a testament to the enduring appeal of the American director's films' SHOWstudio features editor (and Coppolaite) Hetty Mahlich wrote in her review. Dedicated to all those who have spent their life adoring Coppola's 'hazy, candy-coloured grade' films that need little dialogue to express contempt or contentment, the book, by Hannah Strong is not only a complete comprehensive book of all her works but a 'triumphant testament' to what Coppola's films have meant to her audience. Lover or hater, this is one for the 'It' girls who have never failed to stand by Coppola's talent and magic.
Martin Margiela at Lafayette Anticipations by Lafayette Anticipations and König Books
Although it came out last December, this is one for the high fashion junkies. Entirely supervised by Martin Margiela himself, in collaboration with the imitable graphic designer Irma Boom and the Lafayette Anticipations editorial team, the 350-page catalogue details the entire process of creating the works in the 2018 Maison Margiela exhibition at Foundation Galeries Lafayatte. If you were lucky enough to attend the exhibition, your memories are now captured forever in print and if you weren't able to snag a ticket? You know what to do.
Art Brut. The Book of Books by Elisa Berst
Offering a 'revelatory' glimpse into the passions and obsessions of 20th century artists, Art Brut. The Book of Books features an array of private diary letters, sketchbooks and general trivia owned by the very creatives it focuses on. If you were looking for a book to trump all books, you'd find it in Elisa Berst's Art Brut.
An Evening With Fran Lebowitz at Barbican Hall: 2 July
After the hit lockdown launch of Martin Scorsese's Pretend It's A City on Netflix, Fran Lebowitz once again became the talk of the town - and although the cult icon's name is strongly associated with the Big Apple - (so much so, that some may believe she's shackled to the Grand Central Terminal subway station), she's just embarked on a UK tour. Her next stop? Catch the real-life Lebowitz (no screen version) at The Barbican this Saturday 2 July.
A lot of queer history has gone down since the UK’s first pride march in 1970, and Ella Boucht wants to cover it all. On 8 July, the fashion designer and creative director is launching HÄN, a digital archive and publication that highlights queer history, and the trailblazers at the centre of it all. The launch party will be hosted at Reference Point where there will be talks, readings, and performances dedicated to LGBTQI+ archives.
Patti Smith at the London Palladium: 24 July
What was meant to take place at Alexandra Palace is now set for the capital's legendary London Palladium. Unlike any other music festival, 'Godmother of Punk' Patti Smith has curated a show with guests Connie Constance and Nadine Shah. From poetry to performance to singing, this is set to be the holy night of all nights. Grab your tickets here.
Nanushka Summer Residency at El Silencio: until end of August
Designed to authentically showcase art, design and architecture, community building is at the heart of Nanushka's Ibiza residency. Culture and wellness are also a focal point, with meditation leader Christopher Connors set to host a variety of wellbeing programmes, including guided meditations, mindful hikes and sound baths in efforts to create holistic, expansive experiences that resonate with creative director Sandra Sandor and the community she has created around the Paris-based brand.
Pride Capsule Collections
AMI & Tom Daley have joined forces to celebrate Pride month, creating two sweaters sporting the colourful Pride flag. If you're wondering what to wear this Pride weekend, 100% of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated towards the British charity Kaleidoscope Trust. However, the Tom x Ami drop isn't the only capsule on the market, with Diesel x Tom of Finland getting in on the fun with their own collaboration. Want to be the loudest person in the room? We suggest you order quickly as we predict this to be a best-seller. Up-and-coming sustainable designer Patrick McDowell has also joined in with their collection of hoodies with Hit+Run and t-shirts stamping the ironic 'Live, Laugh, Love' statement, subtly referencing the LGBTQI+ community. That's our weekend outfit sorted then.
Another capsule recently released is the WOOD WOOD t-shirt collection, launched to celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary. Calling back to archival designs, the Copenhagen-based label's latest designs honour their earlier influences, taken from graffiti culture and the burgeoning streetwear scene in 00s Denmark. Nostalgic yet modern, the capsule provides the perfect clothing choices for those lazy days when you still want to look good.
Boiler Room Utopia Dance Collection
Wondering what to wear when you have a night out planned can be hard enough, but what about when it's been so long (the pandemic effect) that you almost feel out of action? Don't worry; if you relate to this, Boiler Room have you covered with their latest Utopia Dance collection, detailing an array of jersey t-shirts and designs that'll help you blend in, while also standing out on the dance floor.
